Intriguingly, this clash has the additional caveat of offering England manager Roy Hodgson the chance to take a closer look at two of the Three Lions' most important talents in the shape of Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck. With England facing crunch World Cup qualifiers against Moldova at Wembley and, more worryingly, Ukraine away, Hodgson has a difficult decision about which player to select along with Wayne Rooney in attack.

Both Sturridge and Welbeck have enjoyed brilliant starts to the season, with Man United's Welbeck already doubling his total league tally for last season with a brace against Swansea City, while Liverpool's Sturridge has proved invaluable to Kop boss Brendan Rodgers, scoring in each of their league victories thus far and adding a further two goals to his season total in the Capital One Cup.

But which striker is better and deserves to start for England? talkSPORT takes a look at their respective claims...

Premier League (since January 2013)
As can be seen above, Daniel Sturridge has managed to carry his hugely impressive form for Liverpool from the second half of last season through to the new campaign. His 12 league goals in 16 appearances is a fantastic return in the top flight and makes you wonder why Chelsea insisted on playing him in a wide role, rather than as the centre point of their attack.

His more striking role at Liverpool has afforded him the luxury of more chances on goal and while his conversion rate of one in five shots leaves room for improcvement, his tendency to get well over 50% of his shots on target is very promising.

On a related note, Danny Welbeck came in for criticism for his lack of goals last season, despite his deployment in a wide position for Man United. By playing out wide – a position he has been used in again this season – his goal scoring opportunities have been restricted. Perhaps mindful of this, so far this season the 22-year-old has more frequently drifted in from the wing, as he did against Swansea to help himself to a brace. Overall though, Welbeck's finishing has not been as impressive as that displayed by 23-year-old Sturridge.

Welbeck's overall team play is a positive aspect of his game, but while that is true in terms of holding the ball up and bringing team-mates into attacking moves, Welbeck still falls behind Sturridge in terms of both chances created and overall assists, since the latter joined Liverpool.

England career in full
When it comes to international football, there is a notable difference between the two. Despite making their England debuts just eight months apart, Welbeck is more experienced on the international stage than Sturridge, largely thanks to the Liverpool striker being overlooked for selection while spending time in the Chelsea wilderness. When Sturridge has been given the nod for England selection, he has struggled to make an impact.

That could change the more he features for England, but Welbeck has already make his mark in an England shirt. Since making his debut in March 2011 against Ghana, the Man United man has recorded a greater scoring frequency on the international scene than he has at club level, which can be largely attributed to the way he is used by England.

On international duty, Welbeck has been invariably deployed in a central role, an area he appears to thrive in. His six goals in 17 international appearances is a decent return for a player still learning his craft and a quick look at his spread of goals shows that he is capable of scoring against a variety of opposition. So far, Welbeck has scored against Belgium, Sweden (on two occasions, including a vital Euro 2012 strike), San Marino (a brace) and Scotland.

In comparison, Sturridge's sole international goal came in England's 8-0 thrashing of San Marino in the latter stages of last season. That is not to say that the Liverpool man has been wholly poor for England. His six appearances have largely been cameo roles, amounting to roughly half an hour's game time in each fixture and he is yet to actually start a match for England. Throughout those appearances he has taken just four shots on goal, three of which have been on target, with one being scored. That is promising for Sturridge and suggests that given more opportunities in front of goal, he will score more frequently.

Ultimately though, with qualification for the World Cup potentially on the line against Ukraine and chances to score probably at a premium, Roy Hodgson needs to select an attack capable of being clinical in front of goal. Welbeck's international experience suggests that he is the better option, but if Hodgson decides to go for the player in form, then it will be very difficult to ignore the Liverpool man.

Who do you think is the better attacker, Sturridge or Welbeck? Comment below...